Blue Origin blames New Glenn rocket explosion on faulty valve
The short version
Blue Origin says a faulty oxygen valve caused the explosion of its New Glenn rocket during a May 28 engine test. The incident destroyed the rocket and damaged parts of the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.
Blue Origin attributed the May 28 explosion of its New Glenn rocket to a faulty valve controlling oxygen flow into one of its engines.4,2,1 The explosion occurred during a hot-fire test of the rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.3,2 The incident destroyed the New Glenn rocket and damaged key pieces of launch pad infrastructure.3,2
Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp confirmed the company is continuing its investigation into the anomaly.3 The explosion happened during the evening of May 28, 2026, according to Blue Origin's update.3 Investigators traced the cause to a valve in the rocket’s BE-4 engine, which powers the New Glenn.1
Blue Origin described the explosion as catastrophic, resulting in the loss of the rocket and significant pad damage.3,2 The company has been working since May to determine the cause of the anomaly, according to its update.3,2
“Investigative work is continuing into the anomaly that happened during a hot-fire test of the rocket during the evening of May 28, 2026.”
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